Shopping list for 2-6--12

Reuben Sliders with
Ingredients for homemade Thousand Island
Hey All Sorry this is late! We were out of town over the weekend and therefore I didn't even make it to the grocery store until last night (Monday.) Also, the grocery store I went to was Walmart and I was rather unhappy because it was a day they were out of everything plus they don't carry everything either (like rye bread---really??????) so I had to monitor and adjust.

Here we go-

Monday we had frozen cheese tortellini with meat sauce. I used some of the leftover taco meat from the week before and I also happened to have some frozen Marinara so I threw it all together. The little boys love 'pillows.' No leftovers for this meal!

Tuesday- Reuben Sliders. Okay so Wallyworld didn't have any rye bread so I substituted by using a multigrain bun. Also I didn't have any thousand island on hand so I made my own. I happened to already have some Hillshire Farm pastrami on hand, otherwise I would have had to change my act all together because Walmart only carries ham and turkey cold cuts because that must be all that Walmart customers eat?????I have no clue, frustrating to say the least, but I digress......They had plenty of sauerkraut (I use Franks Brand) and I used the Walmart brand provolone.

Thousand Island recipe--a dollop of french dressing, a dollop of mayo (or Miracle Whip which I tend to use) 1/2 tsp of horseradish (it is going on a beef sandwich after all!!) A tsp or so of relish plus salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Spread the thousand island on the bun I ripped the cheese in half, and put two slices of the thinly sliced pastrami in the middle with a bit of sauerkraut. I then buttered the outside of the bun and used my electric griddle. I smooshed the buns down by initially weighing them down with a cast iron pan.

Wednesday--Minestrone- I dice up one small onion, a couple of carrots and a stalk of celery. I sweat these with also two minced cloves garlic. This time I am going to brown up two links worth of Italian Sausage (I will squeeze the meat out of the casings and discard them). After they are sufficiently browned and sweated I will add one quart of prepared chicken broth, one can diced tomatoes, one can of rinsed beans (this time black cuz it's what I got) 1/4 cup frozen spinach a 1/2 c of frozen corn, 1 c frozen green beans. Thyme, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Believe me this soup tastes better the day or two after. The flavors merry very well. I am serving garlic toast on the side.

Thursday-- i have a late meeting once again (the meeting I thought was last Thursday is actually this Thursday) So we are again having a party sized frozen lasagna which makes plenty of leftovers which also means we'll be eating well on the weekend!

Friday--Salad with grilled chicken--once again make salad how you like it!

Just a note---

I use the organic salad in the clamshells. I think they last longer and tend to get less yucky than the bagged lettuce. My favorite is the herb blend. I always look for the one that expires the latest, which means I dig all the way to the back of the display. This week I picked up the spring mix b/c it expires next Tuesday(2-14). Another trick I have learned is at the deli you pay by the pound. So take advantage of going to the deli section and just fill up a clamshell with the mixed greens and you may pay less than buying lettuce from the produce section. Unfortunately, up here I cannot take advantage of this b/c the delis up here don't have a self serve salad bar, but if you happen to be at a grocers that has a salad bar it maybe worth it!